Abstract
size of the worms is, roughly speaking, inversely proportional to the number of worms in the given infection. This has been called the crowding effect. Woodland (1924), Shorb (1933), and Hunninen (1935) demonstrated this phenomenon in rats and mice infected with Hymenolepis nana. Chandler (1939) and Hager (1941) reported this effect in studies on Hymenolepis diminuta. Reid (1942) obtained similar results with Raillietina cesticillus. Reid's data may be somewhat more accurate from a quantitative standpoint since he used weight as a measure of size, whereas previous workers relied on linear measurements as criteria. Wardle and Green (1941), studying the rate of growth of Diphyllobothrium latum, used the weight-length ratio as an index of average cross sectional area. This seems to be a valid approach to problems of this type. In connection with other studies on the metabolism of Hymenolepis diminuta the writer has gathered considerable data on the mean wet weights of worms from infections varying in size from one to one hundred worms. In selecting data for study particular care was taken to be certain that the worms were of similar age (38 to 44 days after infection) and that the host rats were males of similar size (190 to 208 grams). The wet weights of 1694 worms were available for consideration after imposing the restrictions indicated above.
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